Race game and apparatus for playing same.



No. 664,492. Patented D60. 25, I900. a. MCMULLEN.

RACE GAME AND APPARATUS FORPLAYING SAME.

(Application filed Oct. 7, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 664,492. Patented Dec. 25,1900.

v G. McMULLEN. RACE GAME AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING SAME;

(Application filed Oct. 7, 1899.)

I 3 Sheets-Spent 2.

INVENTOR g 8) ATTORNEYS wmvzssss No. 664,492. Patented Dec. 25, I900.

I a. McMULLEN. BAGE GAME AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING SAME.

(Application am on. 7,1399.)

3 Sheets$hae t 3,

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

GEORGE MCMULLEN, OF PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOJOSHUA HERBERT JOSEPH, OF SAME PLACE.

RACE GAME AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING SAME SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 664,492, dated December 25, 1900.

Application filed October 7, 1899.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE MOMULLEN, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, and a resident of Perth, in the Colony of Western Australia,have invented an Improvement in Race Games and Apparatus for PlayingSame, of which the following is a specification.

This in ventionhas been designed so as to provide an apparatus whichwill fulfil to a certain extent and in a counterfeit manner the purposesof a competitive race, to effect which result the apparatus isconstructed so as to sufficiently resemble a race-course in itsappointments-such as astarting bell and barrier, Winning-post, andannouncement of the winners; and the invention relates, first, to a newrace game, and, secondly, to the apparatus employed for effecting same;and in this apparatus the first essential feature consists in the use ofpress-button mechanism whereby the player imparts a rotary motion torollers or Wheels around which travels an endless co rd. To this cord isattached a standard, which carries the dummy figure representing thehorse or other contestant, as the case may be. The length of thetraveling cord actually determines the distance of the running-path ofthe race-course.

The second essential feature consists in the means provided whereby thepassing of each horse past the winning-post is concurrently notified orindicated to the several players or onlookers by the release andexposure of marbles, which are colored to correspond to their ownrespective horses. Such arrangement consists in the employment of abalanced lever having a detent projection which holds the marble untilsuch time as the horse in passing the post makes contact with a pivotedlever or finger, which in its turn oper ates the balanced lever and soin depressing the detent allows the marble to be released.

The third feature of the invention consists in the peculiar arrangementof parts whereby the starting-bell is rung and the starting-barrier isconcurrently released.

The apparatus will be now described by the aid of the accompanyingdrawings, and in Which- Figure 1 is a top plan of an apparatus con-Serial No. 732,953. (No model.)

structed for use by four competitors or players, Fig. 2 being atransverse section on line XX of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail viewsin plan and elevation, respectively, of the mech- .anism employed forreleasing the indicatormarbles. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of thetappet mechanism for operating the apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a plan of the arrangement of the inent chamber, which containsany multiple of the apparatus, while A denotes the concen 7o tric orcompanion compartments, which individually contain each separateapparatus for each competitor.

The top A denotes what is the ground surface of the race-course, havingformed therein the continuous slots A, in which vertical standardstravel for carrying the dummy horses.

B represents the buttons, which upon being operated depress the lever Bthat is pivoted at B to the bracket B, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5.Such press-buttons are provided with a suitable spring, as B, forreturning the button to its home position, while B is a small set-screwwhich acts as a regulator, so as to adjust the length of the stroke ofthe lever B To the under side of the latter is attached, as at O, thebar or rod 0 which connects, as at O to the pivoted quadrant O Thisquadrant at C also carries the vibrator D, which impinges and makesfrictional contact against the periphery of roller D By means of suchvibratory impulses imparted to the roller D it is made to revolve uponits axis or spindle D 5 It is apparent that to operate the difierentrollers, as D, at their respective levels, as shown in Fig. 2, it isnecessary to vertically extend to such required levels thepins 0 whichconnect to their vibrators.

The vibrator D is provided with a spiralspring attachment D", so as toimpart the neo- IOO essary resiliency and to keep such vibrator wellpressed against the peripheral edge of the roller D With the roller D acompanion or guide, as E, is provided, around both of which the endlessband E travels, and the path of such band constitutes the line of racefor the dummy horseor other contestant. This band carries the verticalstandard E to which at its topmost is attached the dummy horse E orotherwise, as the case may be.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and l, F is the lever pivoted at F. one endwith an upward projection or tongue, as F whose purpose is to detain theindicator-marble F until such time as its own related horse has passedthe post. To the other end of this pivoted lever F is attached acounterbalance F so as to insure the lever and its tongue F being soheld as to-correctly detain the marble unless otherwise required. Thistongue F works upwardly in the slot F, as provided for the purpose. Thelever, as F, carries a dependent rod G, which is attached to anotherpivoted plate G by means of the flexible connection G This plate at itsouter end is formed with a finger, as G,

against which the running-carrier E in its travel makes contact, andthereby concurrently releases its own indicator-marble.

Referring to Fig. 6, J represents the pockets, into which theindicator-marbles F according to their respective colors, are in thefirst instance placed and are retained therein by the slide or barrier Juntil the final lap or round of the game is being run off, when thebarrier is slid back and so allowing the marbles to rest or be detainedagainst their stops F as above referred to. This barrier works in theslots, as J and is formed with the knob-handle J Upon being releasedeach marble runs into the galley K, so as to reveal to the players andonlookers the color or number of the winners and also the order orsequence of the winner.

The ringing and starting mechanism consists of two parallel slide-bars Land L and which work and are held in the recesses L formed in the underside of the top frame of the box A. These bars are connected to eachother by the cross-bar L which is pivoted at L and operated by the knobL working in its own slot-piece L To one of these bars is affixed aprojection which makes suitable contact with the hammer of the bell, asL for announcing the start of the race. These slide-bars are formed,where shown, with inclined or curved faces for engaging with the downend of the finger M, which is suitably pivoted to the barrier-standard Mand works in the slots M and M, as shown. The other end of such finger,as at M retains the barrier, as N, in position, at or against which thehorses are'arranged or faced until released, whereupon it flies open andupward on its hinge N being assisted and expedited by the spring N Thislever is formed at N denotes the brackets for holding the barrier in itsvarious positions on the race-course.

The spinning device for deciding which horse and press button is to beallotted to each player consists of a many-colored disk P, which rotatesunderneath a fixed disk, which latter has circular spaces marked bynumber or by other distinguishing manner. P represents the winning-post.

The manner of playing this new race game and of using this inventionthereforis mainly as follows: It will'be assumed that four persons electto play, in which case an apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 will be used.Each player will then call any number up to 4:, and the device P will bespun around, so as to decide which button and horse is to be op eratedby each respective player. The players are now allotted their button inaccordance with the decision of the spinning device-as, say, that in theevent of red appearing under the circle marked 1 then N0. 1 player isallotted the button marked or colored red, and so on. The buttons aremade to correspond in color with that of their own respective horse. Thehorses are now brought abreast of the barrier N, and concurrently withthe release of same by the movement of the sliding bars L and L thestarting-bell rings,whereupon each player operates his own press-button,as B, which by means of the pivoted lever B vibrates the finger D and sorotates the roller D by means of which the band E is made to travel,together with its attached dummy horse E Upon the horse passing thewinning-post its carrier F. makes contact with the finger G therebydepressing the detent or tongue F and so allowing the marble to bereleased, which then runs into the galley K and so indicates the resultof the race.

It will be noted that each apparatus is distinct in itself, and asregards operation each button has its own horse and indicator-marble tocorrespond.

While specific mechanism has been shown and described for the carryingout ofthis invention, it is obvious that the details, of constructionmay be varied without departing from the essential nature andconstituents of the invention as broadly set forth.

In Fig. 8 in the galley K the tongue F is shown holding the marble F inposition to be released upon the horse E arriving at the winning-post Pthe object of the hand drawslide J being so as to retain the marbles inQ their pockets J at the time that they are being placed therein anduntil such time as the race is being run,whereupon the slide iswithdrawn and the marblesare. allowed to run up v against and face theirrespective retentiontongues F until the same is withdrawn by the fingerG and connected mechanism G G and F, as shown in Figs. 3, 4;, and 9.

In Fig. 9 the first position of the marble is shown in a full line andthe position it assumes as against the retention-tongue is shown inbroken lines, while the final position of the marble as exposed to viewin the galley K is shown in a full line.

Fig. 10 shows starting and ringing mechanism, consisting of thetransverse connectingbar, as L pivoted at L which by the pin L operatesthe slide-bar L and this slide-bar at L operates the finger M forreleasing the barrier N, as also shown in Fig. 7. The other parallelbar, as L, connects to the bar L by means of the pin L, and such bar, asL, is operated by the knob, as L. The bar L also when moved forwardrings the bell L by the ham mer-piece L ias shown,and so announces thestart of the race simultaneous with the release of the barrier N.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a new race game apparatus: the mechanism consisting of slide-barswhich concurrently operate a bell and also a detent whereby therace-barrier is released and removed so that the contesting figures mayrace substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth anddescribed.

2. In combination in a race game, the rollers, the cords passing aroundthe same, contestant figures secured to the cords and arranged to runside by side, a winning-post and push-button mechanism for operating therollers, said push-buttons being independent of each other and arrangedtoim pel the proper cord separately and continuously, the cords andcontestant figures running freely when the impulse is given by thepush-buttons,substantially as described.

3. In combination in a game apparatus, means for moving and carrying thecontestant figures, a winning-post or other given point and means forexposing an indicator as the figures reach the winning-post,substantially as described,

4. The combination of parts consisting of the press-button or vibratorymeans for imparting the racing motion to the figures together with themeans for announcing the winner by the release of marbles and togetherwith the mechanism for announcing the start of the game and the removalof the racing-barrier, the whole working as one apparatus for playing anew race game substantially asherein set forth and described.

5. In combination with the contestant figures, means for carrying andmoving said figures, a series of marbles, a galley K into which themarbles may run and arrange themselves in order and means for holdingthe marb1es,-said means being released by the operation of the carryingmeans, substantially as described.

6. In combination, the race-barrier, a bell, means for holding therace-barrier in position, means for releasing the race-barrier andringing the bell, the contestant figures and means for operating thesame comprising push-buttons.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twoWitnesses.

GEORGE MOMULLEN.

Witnesses:

J. M. SPEED, RIcHD. SPARROW.

